


The Feast Of Lights

by Kendrene



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alpha!Korra, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Angst, Dirty Talk, F/F, G!P Korra, Girl Penis, Jealous!Korra, Knotting, Omega!Asami, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-01-05 07:51:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12185928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kendrene/pseuds/Kendrene
Summary: But Korra wasn’t listening, her gaze trained on the couple. Except, they were not a couple any longer, right? Mako had told her he loved her at the South Pole, and she’d kissed him - Spirits! she still couldn't quite believe she had - so this surely was just Korra misunderstanding what her eyes were showing her.Mako said something which Korra couldn’t quite hear over the market’s din, and Asami laughed again, a sultrier, lower sound that stabbed through Korra like a lance of fire boiling her blood in its wake, before the heiress rose on her tiptoes to place a kiss on Mako’s cheek.The fool’s blush was clear even under the lanterns’ flickering light.And, just like that, Korra was fuming again.ORAsami is apparently trying to win Mako back from Korra, using the excuse of the Feast of Lights to flirt with him. The Avatar is not having any of it.





	1. Bait

**Author's Note:**

> Hey I am back with another Korrasami fic! This is an A/B/O which, if you read my other work, is the butter I put on my toast in the morning! 
> 
> Hopefully you will enjoy. Please let me know what you think, as I am still quite green in this fandom.
> 
> Cheers!

Korra was fuming. 

She trailed after the rest of Team Avatar as they made their way through the crowded streets of Republic City, a sulk firmly plastered on her face despite her half-baked attempts at concealing it. 

The evening hadn’t started quite this way - in fact they had left Air Temple Island in high spirits - ready to celebrate both the victory over Amon and the Feast Of Lights. Preparations for this night - and restoration of the scars the civil war they’d skirted dangerously close to - had lasted weeks, benders and non-benders working shoulder to shoulder in a show of unity the city had not seen in a while and sorely needed.

As a result, the City itself was a wonder, signs of the destruction wrought by the Equalists’ machinery and weapons all but gone thanks to the combined efforts of the populace, and every building they walked by, was now decorated with colorful paper lanterns and handwoven banners wishing those who happened to read the writing on them luck and prosperity. 

The lanterns, Korra knew, were supposed to symbolize the souls of the departed, as the Feast was the one day of the year in which people were meant to remember their loved ones, both in prayer and by feasting in their honor. 

The recurrence had always been a source of turmoil for Korra, since she couldn’t quite come to grips with the festive atmosphere. To her the day had always been more about a strange melancholy that would make it hard to eat, and even breathe at times, than anything else.

This was something that had started long before she’d come to Republic City, but in the frozen lands of the Southern Water Tribe it had been easier for her to find peace and quiet, with only Naga for company. She would wait until the adults were too caught up with feasting and then slip away into the darkness, eyes trained to the sky and the Southern Lights as she felt the spirits of the dead cross into the tribe’s territory for one night. 

Of course, when she had explained all of this to Tenzin, he had suggested she meditate on how she felt, oblivious to the fact that was his go-to answer for everything that happened to ail the Avatar. Her brief brush with Aang’s spirit (and the Spirit World) when she’d regained her bending had only served to complicate matters further. 

Besides, it wasn’t like she had regained her control  _ fully _ .

The truth of it was that - at least in the beginning - she really hadn’t wanted to go. But the others had tag-teamed her until finally, caught between Bolin’s puppy-eyed look and Meelo’s threat of Air farting her into oblivion, Korra had caved with a defeated laugh. The thought that a bit of a party may help uplift her battered soul a little had even filled her mind for a very short ten minutes. 

Spirits, but she regretted her decision. 

She grumbled under her breath, dodging a group of tipsy citizens and quickening her pace to rejoin the others who had wandered further ahead led by Bolin, who was clearly looking for more food.

“Avatar!” A man called from behind a stall that sold mutton and vegetable skewers, effectively snapping the morose thread of her thoughts, “please help yourself!” He gestured to his food with a prideful smile and added, “best mutton you’ll find in Republic City!” 

Korra didn’t want to stop. She didn’t want to eat, but her time with Tenzin had taught her the value things one didn’t really want to do intrinsically had. She accepted a sizzling skewer with grace and a forced smile that turned genuine when happiness filled the man’s face. The meat was so hot that fat still dripped from it, and when she bit off a piece Korra had to stifle a moan. The flavour was unlike anything she had ever tasted, the meat cooked to perfection and the pieces of vegetables in between - onions, bell peppers and some other thing she didn’t recognize - so spicy they brought tears to her eyes.

“My son is a bender like his mother,” the vendor explained when she tried to insist on paying anyway, “like you. If you hadn’t defeated Amon… I don’t know what would have happened. I don’t want to think about it.” His face darkened briefly, eyes still full of the violence and hatred that had broken out throughout the city. Korra couldn’t blame him for the fear she saw still dance inside his gaze; childhood friends had been at each other’s throat, spurred by Amon’s incendiary rhetoric, and, while the damage done to Republic City had been mended, deep scars were left among its people.

Those would take more time.

The vendor filled her free hand with more skewers and waved her on. “For your friends, Avatar Korra. You and yours are always welcome to stop by!”

Korra was too stunned by his kindness to think of a proper reply, so she smiled again (around another mouthful of meat) and the man nodded, seemingly content with that.

She trotted up the street, fingers burning with droplets of fat, and passed the skewers to the others, making sure to save the vegetable only ones for the Airbenders. Tenzin’s kids accepted enthusiastically, faces rapidly coating with the food’s juices as they stuffed their mouths at breakneck speed, while her mentor and his wife savored the treat at a stately pace, even though Korra distinctly heard Tenzin moan around his first bite, much like she had. 

She turned her head this way and that, searching for Mako and Asami, only to find them at a nearby stall, the raven-haired beauty leaning against his arm, a rich laugh taking flight from her lips.

“I’ll take their portions,” Bolin deftly plucked the skewers from Korra’s slackened fingers, hissing when the hot meat scalded his skin, “for..uh… safekeeping. Yeah.”

But Korra wasn’t listening, her gaze trained on the couple. Except, they were not a couple any longer, right? Mako had told her he loved her at the South Pole, and she’d kissed him - Spirits! she still couldn't quite believe she had - so this surely was just Korra misunderstanding what her eyes were showing her. After all, it was preferable for everyone that Mako and Asami remain friends - there would be way less tension in the group that way.

Mako said something which Korra couldn’t quite hear over the market’s din, and Asami laughed again, a sultrier, lower sound that stabbed through the Avatar like a lance of fire boiling her blood in its wake, before the heiress rose on her tiptoes to place a kiss on Mako’s cheek. 

The fool’s blush was clear even under the lanterns’ flickering light, and he shivered visibly, almost  _ melting _ at the gesture. 

And, just like that, Korra was fuming again.

She took a step forward, practically quivering with rage, mind blank save for the thought of how she would put that smug, conniving Omega  _ bitch _ back in her place, when a firm hand closed around her bicep, holding her back. 

She raised anger-slitted eyes, a snarl forming on her lips, but Tenzin simply stared back evenly before giving one small shake of his head.

Korra knew just what he would have said, had they been alone.

_ You can’t barge into everything knot-first, Korra. _ She tore her arm free with a grunt.  _ You should meditate until your anger cools so that you won’t do things you will regret later. _

Perhaps he would not have put it quite that way, but she shot him a dirty look anyway then whirled away and stomped off towards another booth, not caring that she looked like a child throwing a tantrum. She shouldn’t have let them talk her into coming to the night market in the first place, and began to entertain the idea of just vanishing down a side road to lose them and return to the relative silence of Air Temple Island.

“What’s up with her?” She heard Bolin ask blithely. 

“Uh...women’s stuff.” Tenzin replied, words punctuated by a groan, as if he’d just been elbowed for his trouble. Which was probably the case, Korra thought, when she risked a glance over her shoulder just in time to catch Pema glare up at her husband.

Bolin made a face, nose scrunched up and mouth pulled into a grimace.

“Ew, that’s gross! Too much info, old man!”

Korra inwardly groaned.  _ Perfect _ .

She decided to block them out, approaching the stall and pretending to study the wares on display as she tried to put order in her thoughts. She picked distractedly at the assortment of cured leather bracelets strung through with glass beads and hammered silver jewelry, shining enticingly under the colorful lights. They were quite beautiful, she admitted, the delicate craftsmanship reminding her of the flowing movements required by airbending.

One particular piece, a slim silver necklace with a jade pendant the size of her thumbnail captured her interest, and Korra picked it up to examine it more closely.

The booth’s owner, a wiry woman with hair as silver as the wares she peddled, waited patiently for her to make up her mind, perhaps sensing a sale. 

Korra held the necklace in her palm, the jade pendant worked in such a way that it was of an almost translucent green in the amber glow of the stall’s lights. It was the same color of Asami’s eyes she realized with discomfort, but that comparison - which should have made her furious - filled her with a stomach-churning emotion she couldn’t describe instead .

_ You love Mako.  _ Her brain fired off like a defective engine, stuttering and crashing into that thought.  _ And he loves you back.  _

It had seemed quite simple in the crisp air of the South Pole when, overjoyed by the return of her powers, she had flung herself in his waiting arms. Clear-cut like the ice cliffs around them. But now…

Mako may not be Asami’s boyfriend anymore, but it was clear he still enjoyed her attention. As for the Omega… who knew what she really was up to? Korra’s best guess was that Asami was trying to get him back, but there had been a moment, right after she’d kissed his cheek so openly, in which their eyes had met and Korra had been filled with the impression that the display was not meant for Mako’s benefit but hers. Which was absurd. Asami had never shown any interest in her, and, if the clash with Amon had strengthened their friendship somewhat, there was the awkward matter of the heiress father’s still hanging between them. He had been an Equalist and a traitor, trying to sway his own daughter into joining Amon in his revolt. She not only had resisted, but also defeated him herself. Still, Korra had been the one to accuse him of conspiring with Amon first, and she wasn’t sure that Asami had forgiven her for that.

Korra gritted her teeth so hard the enamel cracked and shook her head, anger flaring inside her chest. For a moment she had been weak, and had found herself imagining how it would feel like to be the center of Asami’s world.

“How much?” She asked maybe a tad too briskly, trying to get herself back to the present.

The price made her eyes bulge. 

“Can’t afford it, sorry.” Korra lowered her hand hurriedly, as if she’d discovered she was holding a venomous snake, and sought to put the necklace back.

The old vendor’s hands closed around hers, forcing her to stop. 

“Keep it. You can come by my workshop for say… ten days, and melt the silver for me with your firebending. These old bones can’t work the furnace’s bellows as well as they used to. Besides,” and a strange glint entered the woman’s hawk-like eyes, “you’re bound to need that necklace soon.” The words echoed strangely inside her skull, the market receding until Korra had the impression that only she and the vendor were left, alone inside an empty city. Then she blinked and sound rushed back into her ears.

Before Korra could reply the vendor had pushed a cream colored business card in her other hand - with the address she supposed - and when she finally thought of something to say it was too late, the rest of the band crowding around the stall.

“Oh, these are pretty!” Pema sighed with a wistful look that had Tenzin reach for his purse. Korra felt Mako’s arm go around her shoulders and found him glancing at her closed fists with curiosity. 

“Hey baby.” She winced, like she did every time he decided to call her that, “What do you have there?” Korra said nothing, stuffing the objects she was holding deep inside her pockets before he could take a look.

“Is it a present for me?” Mako continued, a smug grin dawning on his face, “you can tell me, you know?” He leant forward, evidently looking for a kiss. 

Lightning-fast Korra put a hand on his chest, holding him at bay.

“Why,” she sneered with contempt, the anger that had never really drained away resurfacing with a vengeance, “what makes you think you’ve done  _ anything  _ to deserve a present?” 

Without giving him time to answer, she shook off his arm and shouldered past him, vanishing into the crowd, but not before she rammed her shoulder against Asami on purpose, almost toppling the unsuspecting Omega over.

“ _ Hey _ !”

“Korra wait!” 

She ignored them both, making her way through the throng of revellers as fast as she could without bodily tossing people out of her path. Her hand went back into her pocket and closed around the jade pendant so hard she was sure there would be marks left on her flesh. 

Anger and confusion swirled inside Korra and she felt as vulnerable as she had the moment Amon had taken her bending away. More so perhaps, because back in the Arena it had been her powers on the line, but not her heart. She had pined after Mako when he was with Asami, and now that he was hers - at least supposedly so - she was afraid she’d misunderstood their bond for love when it was a deep friendship instead. Of course friends loved each other also, but Korra fervently wished that the line between the two things was more clear cut. And in the midst of it all stood Asami - who she could not get out of her mind, no matter how much effort she put in it.

After she had walked a certain distance she stopped and turned back, scanning the sea of faces around her to locate the others. It had taken all of her fraying willpower not to break into an undignified run, but still she was panting and her chest hurt the same way it did after a particularly intense training session. 

She was standing at the corner of a square, and just as the idea of sneaking back to the quiet of the Air Temple solidified more firmly in her mind, her friends appeared on the other side. 

Bolin was wringing his hands, evidently trying to figure out where she could possibly have disappeared to, but Korra’s eyes lingered on him only for a moment before they were drawn to Asami and Mako, like a magnet is to steel. 

The Omega was rubbing surreptitiously at her shoulder, a dissatisfied frown making her appear more haughty and cruel than Korra thought her to be, while Mako looked visibly upset. By the way they were holding themselves studiously apart it was clear they had been arguing. 

_ Good riddance _ . 

The thought was a petty one, but Korra couldn’t fight down a smirk. 

It served both of them right in her book - Mako for being a dovey-eyed idiot when he was around Asami, and the Omega for trying to play games with the Avatar.

She was about to use a group of Southern Water Tribe warriors as cover to leave the square altogether, and the others to their misery, when Asami’s keen gaze impossibly found hers, rooting her to the spot. 

Crap,

Impossible as it was, it felt like the Omega had mastered earthbending overnight and was using it to ensnare Korra’s feet in stone. 

She dropped her eyes in disbelief, actually checking the cobblestones to reassure herself  that it was not the case, and when she looked up again Asami was still staring. 

Korra thought the other girl would waste no time blowing her hiding spot, but the Omega didn’t, eyes leaving hers to gaze significantly down a darkened alleyway. Asami repeated the gesture a few times - until she was sure her message had been received - then pointed the others into a completely different direction with an over excited wave of her hand before darting into the shadows once their backs were turned.

Asami was nothing if not resourceful, Korra conceded begrudgingly,

She waited long enough to make sure the rest of Team Avatar had swallowed the bait before hurrying after the Omega, quickly leaving the sound of music and laughter behind. 

The whole thing smelled like confrontation, and Korra thought it was about damn time the two of them had a showdown.  

When darkness completely engulfed her Korra broke into a run, the light vanilla of Asami’s scent that tickled up her nose almost a mockery. 

She grinned, eating the ground in powerful strides, her smile a feral slice of unbridled savagery. 

Asami had done her worst to provoke her, and now Korra was spoiling for the fight.

_ I’m coming for you, you little slut.  _

Her howling laughter shattered the night.


	2. Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furious and confused by turns, Korra stalks Asami deep within the City. What is the Omega's plan? And when their worlds collide will they manage to come out of it unschated?
> 
> Meanwhile the rest of Team Avatar is looking for them everywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am starting to think this may end up a few chapters over 3. I guess I was being overly optimistic, but the two dorks decided to have it their way. 
> 
> I do hope you won't mind. As usual comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. Any canon inaccuracies are entirely my fault as I just started season 2.
> 
> (yes there is some smut in this chapter)

Korra ran, the echo of her own footsteps her only company. The winding streets that could be found in this part of the city had a funny way of carrying sound; they funneled it and distorted it, until it seemed like she had a sizeable army running at her back. But Korra’s nose stayed true, the only scents she could detect her own - red with rage - and Asami’s. She bolted across the cobblestones, her feet skidding on the worn stones, down streets that grew so narrow as she went that two grown men abreast would have a hard time squeezing through.

The festival was nothing but a memory of light behind her, the only indication that the night market was still open and going strong, a rosy tint against the ink black of the sky.

Now and then the wind would change, bringing snatches of laughter and song to her ears, or filling her nose with the drool-inducing smell of fried foodstuffs. It made her stomach growl and Korra regretted not having eaten more of the skewers she’d gotten for free. 

Whenever the wind changed, confusing the trail that she was following, Korra would slow down. She’d tilt her head back and briefly closed her eyes, nose twitching as she inhaled:  Asami’s scent was lost to her for the space of a few steps, but always she picked it right up. To an onlooker she may have resembled a hound or a wolf, hot on the tail of their prey. The thought made Korra’s face lit up with a grin fit to split her face in two. She found it an adequate description, feeling as she did like the embodiment of danger. 

Despite the countless smells assaulting her senses, Asami’s was unmistakable: vanilla mixed with the stronger aroma of crushed orange flowers. That second trace, which had been absent at the beginning of the chase, was growing more prominent now, to the point that Korra began to wonder whether she was chasing two people instead of one.

But no, her heart reassured her in a way her nose could not, both scents belonged to Asami.

The alley she was following, so narrow she had to turn herself kind of sideways and shuffle along awkwardly, opened onto a quay, the space expanding so rapidly around her that Korra staggered. Her left foot caught on a dislodged cobblestone and she threw her arms out, whirling them about in a desperate attempt to stay upright. She managed, bringing herself to a stop mere paces before plunging headfirst into the water. The liquid, seemingly a solid black this late at night, lapped at the edge of the quay, oily, malodorous foam frosting the edge of each wave as it kissed land. 

Taking the chance to regain her breath, Korra looked around, her feet carrying her into a slow circle as she naturally dropped to the defencive stance she’d been taught at the beginning of her training.

It was dark without the glow of street lamps warding off the night, the only lights that of the center of town, far away and bouncing like a mirage upon the open waters. The quays, which would be bustling with incoming ships and crowded with traders and businessmen intent on buying and selling cargo, lay completely empty. The only other person Korra could see was a lone, torch-carrying guard who paced around the warehouses at the far end of the pier.

If she squinted hard enough, Korra could discern the silhouette of Air Temple Island out in the bay, and again she thought she ought to just zip across the water and head back home. Away from the city she could perhaps find some of the peace that eluded her of late, or at least pretend to be fast asleep when the others finally made their way back. 

She had no illusion that the night would be a restful one, much like the others before it. She may have defeated Amon, but he still ruled over her dreams.

Asami had probably led her away from the market on purpose, throwing her off until she got lost, and now returned to woo Mako and win him back over without the Avatar getting in the way.

She should be raging, using all the elements at her disposal to swoop in and ruin the Omega’s obvious plan, but Korra’s heart slowed its beat instead of picking up, a strange sadness settling into her bones.

A dark, unfathomable longing wrapped around her like a shroud and Korra shivered, hugging herself and hunching over slightly even though the night wasn’t that cold. 

It wasn’t even about potentially losing her boyfriend, which filled Korra’s mind with doubts concerning the real depth of her love for him. Mako was a good and steadfast friend, but now that she had him the way she’d thought she wanted him, Korra did not feel complete. 

She did not feel  _ happy _ .

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the sea brine through her nose, until her stomach quit its roiling. It helped a little, but confusion lingered. The best thing she could do was to retrace her steps and find her way back to the festival. 

Perhaps she’d be lucky and find someone to give her directions. But everything would be easier if she had light. 

With that thought in mind, Korra extended a hand, fingers moving delicately to tease fire out of thin air. A flame appeared, hovering right above her palm, and the shadows that had been crowding her fell back a fraction. It danced, lively and joyful - the opposite of what Korra felt right in that moment - but then sputtered and died, and she could not coax another, no matter how much she tried. 

_ Awesome _ . 

She threw her head back and howled, the sound a raging sum of all her frustrations. At the end of the pier the guard halted, but he made no move to come close, and Korra watched out of the corner of her eye as he vanished behind one of the warehouses. 

_ This far he can’t tell who I am. Probably thinks I’m just some drunk fool. _

 

She howled again, just for the hell of it, her frustration bouncing across the open waters until it was lost into the night.

The Spirit’s World, so close, yet cryptic and out of her reach, all her heart ached for - Mako and  _ Asami  _ (why on Earth was her stomach wrenching so?), her bending that came and went as it pleased; everything found its way into reality by means of Korra’s anguished scream. 

She kept it up until she had no more breath, until her throat was raw and her lungs ached. Then she let her shoulders slump dejectedly, fists going to her eyes to scrub away at tears she stubbornly refused to spill.

Tenzin would say she was afraid of letting herself be weak, and perhaps he would be right. But what scared Korra wasn’t weakness in itself - not this time - rather  _ who  _ she wanted to be weak for. 

It was an absurd thought, one that shouldn’t even have a place within her heart, as she had given reign of it over to Mako. Yet her hand went to her pocket and, before she could stop herself, she was fishing out the jade pendant. 

She stood there like a fool, as if she was clutching a compass rather than a jewel, the mechanism of which would point her with infallible accuracy toward the true north where she could find her answers. 

A passing shadow darker than the night around her rushed by, and Korra turned with it, an impression of raven-haired locks and green eyes searing itself into her mind. 

She had been so maudlin that she’d failed to notice Asami’s scent closing in around her. Suddenly Korra felt ensnared, lost inside a labyrinth with walls made of orange blossoms, where new questions hid behind every turn. 

“Asami?” She called stupidly, sweat trickling down between her shoulder blades. It occurred to her that the Omega had no reason to particularly love her, and perhaps she’d been brought her for a purpose far darker than the one she had imagined. 

_ After all her father was an Equalist _ .

The only answer Korra got, was a light scuffling of feet against the pavement.

“What game are you playing at?” Korra pocketed the pendant, dropping to a crouch. For a moment her anger was revived, a living thing that slithered up her spine and out her hands. Jets of yellow-orange flame spat from her splayed fingers, scorching the ground at her feet and affording her the first good look at her opponent.

Asami’s face unreadable, irritating in its perfection, and, as far as Korra could tell, she  had come unarmed. Lit by the sudden spark of fire her eyes shone the same green of the pendant Korra carried in her pocket, their depths swirling with emotions that set the Alpha’s teeth on edge much more efficiently than a brandished knife ever could. 

“I lost a lot of things, Korra. Some of them because of you.” 

Korra expected her tone to be accusatory. Instead Asami sounded tired. It stung a little, but her words were true to an extent. She had certainly lost Mako to the Avatar, and perhaps stopping her father the way they had wouldn’t had been necessary if Korra hadn’t been so brash. Adamant - Lin Beifong had called her, while giving her begrudging praise - bent on proving Hiroshi’s crimes. It didn’t help her conscience now to remember Tenzin’s look back at Police Headquarters. He’d stared at her as if he’d known she’d partly done it out of jealousy. 

Yet she had been right, hadn’t she? The flames died down to a few, sputtering fizzles, but Korra squared her shoulders, some of her natural arrogance returning. 

“I lost things too, you know.” She rumbled, words caught on the edge of a growl. She would have added more - to hurt possibly, and then regret it later - but Asami didn’t give her a chance.

She barreled into Korra, so violent and unexpected that her legs bent at the knees, sending both of them to sprawl on the hard ground. 

They ended up in a thrashing heap, not entirely seeking to hurt the other, but fighting to determine which of them would sit on top. 

In the end Asami had the best of her, after (accidentally or so she would swear later) winding her with an elbow to her stomach. 

She straddled Korra’s hips, her hands gripping the front of her shirt so hard Korra thought she’d rip it into shreds. Her eyes glowed even without the light of Korra’s fires, and her scent had shifted. The sweet tang of orange had turned bitter, sharpened by the Omega’s own rage. Korra’s lips peeled back to show her teeth in a sneer full of aggression, even as she wrinkled her nose, trying to ignore the ache such change had wrought inside her heart.

“I lost Mako. My father. My  _ future _ .” The Omega hissed in her face, voice cracking under a wave of tears, “and I hate that all I can think about is  _ you _ .” She blinked furiously, the fight to hold her grief back before it drowned her pulling her cheeks taut.

Korra swallowed hard, torn between wanting to console Asami and angry at the Omega for making her want to. 

Her hands moved without her consent, and she could only watch as they tightened around the Omega’s wrists, so hard that they left bruises on her pale skin. 

“I hate the way you make me  _ feel _ !” She shouted back, heart thumping madly within her chest.

The light was scarcely enough for them to make out each other’s eyes, but they stared for minutes that dragged and conflated until they were left stilled in a world that kept on living. 

Slowly Asami released her shirt, hands rising to her face, her touch faltering and unsure against Korra’s cheeks. 

“How do I make you feel?” The whisper was almost lost amid the soft lapping of water against the quay.

Korra kissed her. 

*********************

“Well,” Bolin bit off a monstrous chunk from the skewer of caramelized onions he’d just bought, “I have no idea where they could have gone off to.” He continued - or tried to as half the words were reduced to a mumble while he chewed.

“Do you think they are together?” The thought didn’t sit well with Mako. He told himself he feared the two of them would come to blows over him - a fact he dind’t find  _ entirely  _ displeasing if he had to be honest - but he couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling that there was something else going on between them. 

Something more complicated than jealousy and competition. Something that ran deeper and that perhaps the girls themselves weren’t aware of. 

He’d caught Asami staring at Korra several times that night, and her face had been impenetrable - all finely chiseled cheekbones and marble-like perfection. She had reminded him of a breathing statue, one existing  _ elsewhere  _ even as she hung on his arm and engaged in light conversation. Of course Asami had been as elegant as ever in everything she did - royal even - but she’d  _ felt  _ vacant all the same. 

The usually vivid green of her eyes had been misted over, irises turned as pale as the first grass breaking through snow after a harsh winter, and several times she had lost track of their conversation - which was a thing he never recalled happening before.

Mako was sure he’d even seen her blush once or twice, but the moments had gone by before he could inquire why.

Asami had been gazing at Korra every time that happened though, for all intents and purposes looking like a woman weighing an inevitable decision.

Then she’d kissed his cheek out of the blue and his mind had gone completely blank. He had forgotten all about his observations - up until the point in which Korra had stormed off in a lather, Asami disappearing like smoke soon after that. 

“Well it’s kinda your fault, you know.” Bolin answered something he must have said out loud, and nudged him in the ribs. 

“What do you mean my fault?!” Mako crossed his arms over his chest, staring at his brother with a sullen frown, he hoped Bolin would find intimidating. They were both Betas, but his brother was usually content to follow.

“I mean… you were  _ flirting  _ with Asami, man!” 

“I was not!”

Bolin rolled his eyes.

“Maybe in your head, but Korra can’t know that, can she?” For once Bolin wasn’t backing down, “I’m just letting you know, that’s what it looked like.” 

“Okay, fine.”  _ But I really wasn’t, was I? I was just… being a friend. No hard feelings.  _ Mako was too worried to argue, “that doesn’t help us find them.”

“Find who? What’s going on?” 

He cringed, turning slowly to find that Tenzin and his family had caught up to them. “Where’s Korra?” The Master Airbender gave Mako a disapproving look, that promised retribution if something had happened to his ward.

A whole lot of it.

“Uhm… they… I mean...she and Asami…” 

“Disappeared.” Bolin supplied helpfully, and he groaned.

“What do you mean,  _ disappeared _ ?” 

“Oh, nothing sir,” Mako said hurriedly, before Bolin could get the both of them in more trouble, “I’m sure they just got lost in the crowd. They’re in the square, no doubt.”

Bolin tried to get a word in, but Mako roughly pulled him in a headlock and he kept smiling at Master Tenzin until his jaws began to hurt.

“Well,” Korra’s mentor said at last, deciding not to allocate blame for the time being, “the three of us better split up and find them. Pema, stay with the children please.”

He was gone in a whirlwind, leaving Mako and Bolin shoving at each other and on the brink of a brotherly fistfight.

“You two better go as well.” Pema’s hand shot out just in time to grab an over excited Meelo by his coat, “Tenzin has been very worried about Korra since we returned from the South Pole, but neither him nor she will tell me why.”

Mako nodded, his quarrel with Bolin swept away by her words. The two of them exchanged a look and then - after nodding to Pema - they set off in opposite directions. 

Mako raced to the edge of the square, doing his best to dodge the people pressing in on every side then stopped with no idea where to go next. 

His eyes darted this way and that, heart thumping faster every time he glimpsed someone wearing Water Tribe regalia. But none of the people he spotted turned out to be Korra, so he turned his attention to the network of narrow streets that extended away from the plaza like a dark spiderweb. 

In the end he shrugged, picking one at random and began to make his way deeper into town, a small flame hanging in midair ahead of him to provide light. 

He didn’t know why he’d chosen this particular alley out of the dozen others that looked exactly the same.

All he could think of was that the darkness seemed to be calling to him.

*********************

Korra didn’t know who between the two of them moaned first.

She didn’t care, not as she kissed Asami like someone dying of thirst, not as the Omega’s hands swatted at her chest futilely before she melted against her with another soft moan. 

Everything but the body pressed into her own faded away, and things that would have normally bothered her - like the uneven paving stones digging into her back - became minor inconveniences. 

She thrust her tongue against Asami’s and when the Omega reciprocated she whined, guttural and deep. She teased Asami’s tongue into her own mouth and sucked it, hands greedily roaming the other girl’s back.  

As the Omega’s hips twitched against hers in response, their bodies slotting together as if she and Asami had been made for just that purpose, Korra felt her clit throb and begin to extend. 

A fire hotter than anything firebending could produce, consumed her from head to toe. Her blood boil and her marrow turned to ash, and when they had to separate for air, Korra almost cried out at the loss. The Omega’s lips had felt silken-soft against her own and she wanted more. She  _ needed _ more.

Asami’s scent was everywhere - it clung to her clothes, was trapped in her hair - and Korra wouldn’t mind to suffocate on it. It felt almost as if the Omega’s musk had taken on a veritable structure, trickling down her mouth and nose with each gulp of air she took, slow and thick like honey. It had sweetened again, the night’s air redolent with it, and her own scent - fresh snow and seawater - mixed with Asami’s, creating something new. 

Something full of promise. 

Korra pulled Asami as close as she could and kissed her again, this time with a roughness that spoke of all her needs. And when they had to break apart again, as the only other choice was drowning in each other, they were left panting as if they’d just run a lap around the city. 

“Korra, we need…”

“...we should…” 

“ _ Stop _ .” They concluded together, but neither of them did. 

Korra mentally thanked all the Spirits that she knew by name for the fact that Asami had chosen to wear a skirt that night. It seemed demure enough if someone didn’t look too closely, what with its somber color and ankle-length cut, but she had noticed the slit that opened up one side, halfway to Asami’s upper thigh. 

She pushed the fabric back, growling in frustration when her fingers found stockinged legs instead of skin. But the silk was sheer, thin enough to be translucent if she’d looked at in the light, Korra was sure.

But she didn’t intend to look - she wanted the offending garment at least partly out of the way.

There was a ripping sound, followed by her snarl and Asami’s surprised gasp.

“ _ Korra _ !” 

“What?” She asked, plastering a cocky grin over her face even as her ardor faltered. Perhaps one of them had come to her senses. “Do you want me to stop?” She was scared to ask, but she did anyway.

“No..” Asami captured her lips in a slower kiss, then whispered, “I don’t want you to stop… unless you do.” She gave a minute shrug, “they were just expensive is all.” 

Korra felt her blush against her cheek, and smiled back at her even though she wasn’t sure Asami could see it. 

“I’ll make it up to you...Like this perhaps?” Her fingers, which had been dancing a gentle tattoo on the outside of Asami’s bare thigh moved across it, ghosting up towards her center. Korra could feel the heat radiating from it even before she reached it and her body responded, desire finally starting to tent the front of her pants. 

“Spirits, Korra…” Asami trailed off unable to speak, whimpering when she started a slow tease, fingers following the contours of her folds through slick-soaked panties. 

Korra’s cock twitched, a first spurt of pre-come dampening her pants. She felt herself grow impossibly stiff, and grasped at the Omega’s panties, preparing to rip them off as well and plunge knuckle-deep into her tight slit. 

Her instincts told her to roll Asami over and rut inside her until she was spent, but Korra thought her fingers would sate her own lust at least a little. Until they could be somewhere more private for the rest.

She didn’t stop to think what  _ the rest _ actually meant. She was a slave to her own need and, judging by the impatient whimpers coming from above her, so was Asami.

They were saved - or perhaps doomed - by hurried footsteps drawing closer. 

They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. Asami was off of her in a flash, and if Korra had been wondering before how the Omega had managed to run with that skirt and heels high enough to give her a twisted ankle just by looking at them, now she found her answer.

Korra followed as silently as if she was stalking prey on the ice-wastes of the South Pole, and they pressed together against a wall, downwind from where they had been tangling and as far as possible from the spot without jumping in the water. The smell of brine and seaweed was stronger here, so acrid that Korra began to tear up. She prayed it’d be enough to mask the scent of their lingering arousal.

When Mako appeared she almost groaned, shame mercilessly twisting inside her guts. He was firebending a small flame to help him see where he was going, and he took his time to study the ground, a foot rubbing pensively against the cobblestones. 

“Korra?” He called, shuffling in a small circle, head swiveling and eyes narrowed to slits as he tried to see despite the shadows. “Korra are you here?”

She shifted uncomfortably, then air was sucked out of her lungs in a rush when Asami grabbed between her legs, palming her length roughly. 

“Hold. Still.” The Omega breathed against her earlobe, before biting down on it hard. Korra did, her body taut like a bowstring on the brink of snapping and, after what felt like an eternity, Mako went back the way he’d come while muttering to himself.

Asami released her slowly - not before fisting upwards through her pants one last time - and she sagged against the Omega, face pressed into the crook of her unmarked neck. 

She wanted nothing more than spoil the perfection that was Asami’s throat with the bleeding imprint of her teeth, but it was not the time nor place for it. 

Briefly Korra wondered how she’d come so far so fast, when hours before she was ready to fight Asami over another.

“We need to talk. About all this.” She murmured against the Omega’s skin, smiling secretly when she felt her shiver.

“Just talk?” There was an amused lilt to Asami’s voice, but when Korra lifted her head to meet the Omega’s eyes they were serious. 

“This is going to hurt Mako.” She said simply, knowing that staying silent was akin to refusing responsibility for her actions. 

“It will.”

Neither of them doubted that whatever was going to happen between them that night was unavoidable, like the incandescent plummet of a star crashing to earth. They were on a collision course dictated by their hearts - a path that would destroy what they had been thus far and then remake them. 

“Hopefully not just talk.” Korra couldn’t refrain from adding, a bit of tension trickling away when Asami threw her head back and laughed. It was a soft, caressing sound that ran down Korra’s spine like water, and she felt cleansed from it as if she’d been standing under a waterfall.

“For a moment I thought you’d breed me right there on the cobblestones.” Asami confessed, as Korra grasped her hand to guide her carefully to the edge of the water.

“I wanted to.”

_ I still do. _

The last part rang too vulgar in Korra’s mind, and so she kept quiet. But perhaps they were more attuned than she thought, because Asami pressed herself into her back with a purr. 

“Where are we going?” The Omega asked finally.

They had stopped at the end of the quay, and as the moon finally decided to show its face Korra turned to her, a grin full of mischief dawning bright across her lips. 

“Oh, I know a place.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	3. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his search for Korra and Asami, Mako finds some clues and makes a few assumptions. Meanwhile, Asami discovers that not all is well with the Avatar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this took a while but I'm back at it, and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy.
> 
> \- Dren

 

Mako frowned, the flame he had bent into existence growing bigger and brighter as he squinted into the darkness. Back on the quay he could have sworn he’d heard a rustle, caught a whiff of Korra’s scent - and Asami’s - but it had been a fleeting thing, gone when the wind had changed direction. 

He’d lingered briefly, circling on the spot for a few moments before finally deciding that his imagination and the shadows were playing tricks on him, then he’d slowly walked back the way he’d come. 

Now he was retracing his steps, hoping he had missed something in the dark. He knew the docks and the surrounding area fairly well; he and Bolin had often roamed these alleyways looking for odd jobs, some of which were not entirely legal. 

The narrow alleys were so similar to one another, so full of twists and turns and hidden passageways that it was easy to get turned around, especially in the dark. Taking the wrong turn, or entering the wrong tavern could land someone in less than… agreeable company. His stomach did a little flip; he knew that if Korra and Asami learned he was worrying about their safety, he’d never hear the end of it, but, despite knowing they were more than capable of defending themselves, he couldn’t help it, 

The wind changed direction again, whipping across his face until his eyes filled with tears, causing him to stumble. Mako blinked, the flame he carried dissolving into a soft, orange haze before he could refocus, then, just as he was about to right himself and continue toward the market square, a familiar scent hit his nose. 

He froze, head titled skyward and nose twitching as he inhaled, filling himself to bursting with the night’s cool air. The breeze was filled with a myriad scents, and Mako’s brain worked double time to discard those that didn’t interest him.

Most prominent was the reek of the harbor - tar, salt, and seaweed. It was strong enough that he had to rub his nose but, when the breeze shifted again, it was replaced by the mouth-watering smells coming from the market.

The aroma of roasted meat and vegetables wafting from the festival’s stands made him regret to have passed on those skewers Bolin had devoured, and his stomach growled as loudly as an Alpha readying for a fistfight. 

He shook his head, brows knitted in concentration as he tried to isolate the scent that had captured his attention.

Yes! There it was again! 

This time there was no mistaking Korra’s scent, even mixed as it was with the more pungent aroma of the sea, and that of the foodstuffs. Mako whirled around and let the fire die, putting all of his energy into running back towards the quay. Every so often he sniffed at the wind, just to reassure himself he hadn’t imagined everything. 

The scent was there, albeit different. Mako couldn’t really explain it, but what the wind was carrying of Korra’s smell felt like the hammering heat of a summer day. It pricked his nose, making it wrinkle, and the worry he’d been feeling exponentially grew as he drew closer to the docks. Just as the black mass of the sea came into view at the end of the alley, everything clicked into place; it was the smell that filled the Pro-Bending Arena right before a match, not perspiration, but something just as pervasive as sweat was. Aggression, adrenaline, Alphas and Betas spoiling for a fight, perhaps hoping to impress a pretty Omega watching from the stands. 

In Korra’s case the scent was ten times stronger than anything Mako had been exposed to before, and he wondered whether it was because she was the Avatar. The alternative, that she’d run into the Triple Threat or any of the other violent gangs that ruled over the dockyards at night, made his stomach plummet even further.

He burst out of the alleyway at full speed, feet skidding across the cobblestones as he ground to a halt. The quay was seemingly as empty as he’d left it, but he conjured another flame, and crouched down to examine the ground. 

This time he wouldn’t leave before he found a trace he could follow. 

Not that he really hoped to find anything at all, considering that he was examining stone. Yet, as he combed the ground by the light of the fire, he found a spot where Korra’s scent was stronger and mixed with another he knew just as well. 

Asami’s. 

“Oh, Spirits!” 

It was obvious to him what had happened now. Asami and Korra had slipped away, using the crowds at the festival for cover, and found a secluded spot where they could confront each other. Duke it out over him. 

Bolin had been right; Mako was just being friendly with Asami, but Korra must have mistaken their exchanges for flirting. And Asami  _ had  _ kissed his cheek, then looked over at the Avatar. At the time he hadn’t know what to make of the Omega’s curious behaviour, but now he understood. 

Asami wanted him back and had been baiting Korra all evening until the Alpha, spurred by jealousy, had risen to the challenge. 

Mako rose to his feet, looking around one last time as he let the fire flicker down to the size of a single candle flame. It gave sufficient light for him to pick his way by, now that he was sure he’d see all there was to see. 

He sighed, casting one look at the deserted quay; the only sound was the soft wash of the waves against the docks, and, if not for the city’s lights glimmering along the bay, he could have very well believed he was the only soul awake on that night. 

“You better clear out, boy, before I make you.” 

A man’s voice, heavy with annoyance and suspicion, shattered the illusion. Mako yelped, the flame dying before he could bring himself under control, and, when he whirled around, he found himself almost nose to nose with a guard. 

“Well?” The man took a step forward, thrusting the torch he carried between them, thus robbing Mako of the little night vision he had left. “You want a written invitation or something?”

Mako took a few hurried steps back, raising his hands in what he hoped was a non-threatening manner. The man wasn’t police, rather a private guard hired by whoever owned the warehouses lined at the end of this part of the docks, but he’d dealt with such individuals before. They were far worse than Republic City’s Police, precisely because they weren’t. Ruthless, lawless men, who’d jump at the chance to beat up anyone looking at them wrong simply because someone had paid them and told them they could. 

“Look sir,” Mako began eyeing the truncheon that swayed at the guard’s waist, “I don’t want trouble, I’m looking for…” 

“Seems to me trouble is exactly what you’re looking for, boy.” The guard cut him off, hand going to his weapon. “First there was that madwoman screeching loud enough to rouse the dead, and now you, snooping where you don’t belong.” 

_ Madwoman? Screeching? _

Mako almost asked the guard if he could describe the woman he’d seen, but one look at the man’s frowny countenance was enough to make him reconsider. The fact that the guard was armed meant he was a non-bender, one that Mako was sure he could take on easily. A wooden nightstick no match for his firebending, yet he discarded the though as soon as it took form in his mind. The Equalists may have been defeated, but the relationship between benders and non-benders was far from mended. He doubted that Master Tenzin would approve of him getting into a fight with a guard who, at the end of the day, was simply doing his job. 

Besides, if the  _ real  _ police showed up, he may be thrown in a cell for the night, and that would not help at all in finding Korra. 

He stammered out some more apologies, making sure to look sufficiently cowed, then, once he was positive that the guard wasn’t going to jump him, Mako turned tail and ran. 

He didn’t bother with bending as he barreled down the winding alleys, snatches of music and laughter growing louder as he neared the ongoing festivities. If the guard had heard screams… 

A series of possibilities, one more horrifying than the other, blazed through his mind, and Mako cursed. He needed to find Bolin and the others; with more people looking, they could cover more ground, and find Korra and Asami before it was too late.

_ Too late for what?  _

For that pressing question, Mako had no answer.

***

Asami stared at the water dubiously then back at Korra, wondering what she meant to do next. To leave the quay they’d have to go back into the city where they ran the risk of running into the others. 

The Avatar’s confident grin had waned, disappearing behind a cloud like the moon above their heads. Korra’s eyes had a faraway look, their usually bright blue hard and muted, and she was unconsciously worrying her lip as if internally engaged in a debate. 

Asami almost called her name, but something in the Alpha’s demeanor told her the best thing was to be quiet. So she waited by Korra’s side, even though it felt like her companion had forgotten she was there and let her eyes roam the open blackness of the sea, the city lights a line of beaten gold upon the waves, before her gaze invariably returned to Korra’s face. 

A darkness seemed to have settled over the Avatar’s features, something dangerous and primal dancing deep within her eyes. It flickered across her face - this unnamed emotion - akin to the beating of a raven’s wings bearing ill news and Asami reached out, on instinct more than conscious thought, placing a hand on Korra’s shoulder.

The Avatar gasped, her eyes refocusing, and shook herself like Naga did after being forced to take a bath. She gave Asami a smile that was far too watery to be reassuring, and her worry grew heavy like a sack of stone slung to her back. 

“Let’s go.” 

Before Asami could ask where to for the second time, Korra’s arms were around her, lifting her off her feet.

And then, Korra stepped  _ onto  _ the water.

Asami yelped, arms tightening around Korra’s neck as they plunged the distance separating them from the foamy waves that broke upon the quay’s stone. It wasn’t fear - a Sato feared nothing, her father’s voice echoed her thoughts in agreement - rather a sound of disbelief. 

Still she could not help closing her eyes, nor pressing her face into Korra’s chest as they fell. Her back tensed in preparation, skin pebbling with goose-flesh as she imagined the icy water soaking her from head to toe, and when none of it happened her eyes flew open. 

They were moving, Korra running on waves she’d turned to frozen ice long enough to bear their weight as they sped by. Asami gaped and didn’t care, the spectacle of a moving sea turned to obsidian too marvelous and strange not to stare at.

She drank as much of the scene with her eyes as she could, preening at the thought that Korra was doing all this for her. To impress her perhaps. 

The ocean raged around their little path of stillness, seemingly intent on tearing Korra’s waterbending apart. 

Already it was succeeding, at least behind them, the sheets of ice the Avatar had willed into existence splitting open. As it gave way the ice moaned, the eerie sound reminding Asami of tortured souls crying out in despair as they were lost in a shipwreck. 

But ahead the sea lay quiet, ensnared by the freezing touch of Korra’s bending and, as Asami followed where the ice road was going, it became apparent they were making for the Air Temple.

“Just a quick stop.” Korra puffed next to her ear, voice strained, “that’s not the place I have in mind.”

They were a few yards from the island’s rocky shores when the cadence of Korra’s steps grew erratic. Feet that had been moving effortlessly on the thin ice started to skid, and the Avatar grunted, almost losing her balance and dropping Asami in the water. 

“Korra?” The Alpha’s scent had changed, layered with something cold and slimy that stung Asami’s nose. She was about to speak again when the ice at their feet split apart with a loud crack.

“Not now.” Korra spat, mouthing a curse that would have made Tenzin’s beard fall off. Asami felt their balance shift as the sheet of ice they were standing on tilted precariously, then Korra bent her legs, jumping away just as it began to sink. 

“Hold on!” She screamed over the sound of rushing water. Asami did, fingers frantically clutching at Korra’s shoulders, digging into her flesh despite the clothes in a way that was sure to leave bruises behind.

Ice formed under them just as the leap ended, a much smaller chunk of it this time, then another sheet formed a few paces away. 

They raced, against the waves lapping at their feet and Korra’s waning strength, until with one last jump they were ashore, the Alpha’s legs giving way as they tumbled to the ground.

Asami was the first to scramble to her feet, skirt torn and hair in disarray, the barrage of questions she was ready to fire off dying on her lips when she caught a glimpse of Korra’s face. 

The Alpha was staring into space, eyes frozen chips of terror. A ribbon of blood trickled out her nose, black-looking under the moonlight, and dripped slowly to her lips and chin. Seemingly unaware of what she was doing the Alpha licked at it, and Asami found the gesture deeply unsettling. Korra looked as if she’d barely survived a fight for her life, and, throwing a distracted look to the sea, Asami shivered. 

_ Not too far from the truth, is it? _

Perhaps to make up for the forced stillness, waves now crashed against the island’s cliffs, the ocean angry and frothing like she’d expect to see it in winter. Above, the sky remained mostly clear, and the stars, which glittered calm and unreacheable, turned the scene all the more jarring by contrast. 

Invariably, Asami’s gaze was drawn back to the Avatar’s kneeling form, worry squeezing her heart in a cruel vise at the dismal sight. Korra skin looked waxen, and each breath she took was labored, rattling inside her chest in a way Asami didn’t like. 

She’d never seen the Avatar look so  _ beaten _ , not even in more desperate times. 

All the questions that had crowded her mind at the faltering of Korra’s bending abilities resurfaced, but something told Asami this wasn’t the right time to ask. 

The Alpha smelled hurt, and the Omega within Asami whined in worry. She edged closer, not really knowing what to do. Korra could be extremely proud - touchy to boot sometimes - and Asami didn’t want her actions to spark conflict. 

They may very well end up at each other’s throat before the night was over, but a not so secret part of her - one that manifested into rushing slick between her legs - hoped it wouldn’t be because of an argument. 

She felt raw herself - confused - what had happened between them on the docks filling her mind with possibilities she would have relegated to her wildest dreams only hours before. They would have to talk about that too, eventually, but she doubted that they were quite ready for it. Perhaps the best thing to do - after making sure Korra could carry on, of course - was to reach the place the Avatar had hinted at.

In the end, Asami settled for placing a steadying hand on Korra’s shoulder, whirring soothingly when the Avatar made no move to pull away. 

“I’m okay.” 

Korra’s voice was hoarse and strained, but she managed a tremulous smile that Asami knew was pure bravado. It was typical of the Avatar; she could be mule-headed and irritating, but she’d also downplay a mortal injury to reassure her friends. 

_ Friends. Are we, really? _

Asami supposed they were, despite everything. It mattered little that she’d hated the Avatar at one point - when she’d thought Korra was going after her father out of jealousy over Mako to be exact - the Alpha’s actions had served to open her eyes to the falsehoods he’d constructed around her. 

When it had been time to pick sides, Asami had chosen her friends, rejecting the vengeance her father was so intent to exact on all benders. She had understood his grief, but siding with Amon would not have brought her mother back to life. If anything, it would have cost her the people she’d started to regard as family.

She may still resent Korra sometimes, when the weight of her father’s legacy became almost unbearable, but she also admired the Avatar. 

And, judging by their heated make-out session, that admiration extended somewhere beyond simple friendship.

“Are you, really?” 

Korra grimaced, then reached up to cover Asami’s hand with her own. 

“I will be. I… will explain, but not here.” 

Asami was not at all reassured by the Alpha’s answer, but she made herself nod even as her mind puzzled over the situation the same way it’d try and make a new model of Satomobile work. 

Was Korra sick? Was her illness so debilitating as to affect her bending? Or was the temporary loss of her abilities a direct result of Amon’s attacks on her person? 

She didn’t know, but she was sure there had been genuine fear in Korra’s eyes, and her heart bled for the Avatar.

No, Asami thought, her heart wasn’t breaking. It was broiling within her chest and for a moment she was afraid the heat of it would feed upon bones turned into aged wood.

Only when Korra shot her a curious look, did she realize she’d let loose a low, threatening snarl. 

“It’s nothing.” She made herself stop and offered an apologetic smile. “Shouldn’t we get going?” 

“We should.” Korra agreed, standing on legs that, to Asami’s relief, didn’t seem to be shaking. 

They looked inland, their gazes ascending the island’s steep slopes toward the Air Temple. Even at a distance they could see White Lotus sentries patrolling the walls. 

Korra grinned, and, for a moment, she looked like her old, mischievous self.

“Now comes the fun part.” 

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami do a bit of sneaking around. 
> 
> Meanwhile, the rest of Team Avatar deals with their disappearance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another chapter! I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> \- Dren

_ Korra is right _ , Asami smiled as they worked their way toward the Temple grounds,  _ this is fun _ . 

They chose their path with care, staying in the shadow as much as they could, and swiftly bolting through the patches of moonlight when they had to. Above them, the sentries roamed the walls, but the prominent white of their uniforms made it easy to pick them out in the dark. From what Asami could see they didn’t look too keen on their guarding duties anyhow, sticking close to the braziers that dotted the wars. 

As the wind picked up, whipping loose strands of hair across her face, Asami shivered.  _ Can’t really fault them for that _ .

Shocked, Asami realized she’d allowed herself to fall too far behind. Ahead of her Korra was an indistinct silhouette, barely visible as she crouched in a patch of tall grass. She picked up her pace, hurrying to join the Alpha’s side, but a sudden flash of white stopped her in her tracks. Blood roaring in her ears like the sea they’d left behind, Asami froze, her stomach twisted with the knowledge she had been caught in the open. 

She watched, racking her brain for an excuse, as three, torch-bearing sentries rounded the corner. Unlike the men on the walls, this group meant business, their eyes hard and glittery in the light of the fire as they scanned their surroundings for threats. 

Asami frequented Air Temple Island regularly, and the guards would probably not regard her as a trespasser, but the fact that she was sneaking around at night - and when she was supposed to be with the others at the festival of all things! - didn’t bode too well for her.  _ Korra is with me, though. _ She tried and failed to control the rising panic,  _ she’ll just tell them I’m with her and we’ll be on our way.  _

But Korra simply looked her way and shook her head, motioning discreetly with her hand.  _ Don’t move?  _ Asami frowned, confused.  _ She wants me to get caught?  _

The guards drew closer, but just as the light of the torches was about to reach her, the air around Asami shimmered. She almost expected to feel something slither across her exposed skin, but nothing happened, and she began to think she had imagined it. It could be just a trick of the light: the wind was howling now, and the open flames hissed and bent like pieces of cloth under its capricious fingers. 

One of the sentries looked at her and Asami winced, resisting the urge to duck her head as she waited for an alarmed shout to break the silence. His gaze however slid over her without seeing, and he huffed, stomping a booted foot in irritation.

“There’s nothing here, I told you!” 

“I thought I heard-” 

The first guard rounded on his comrade, turning his back to Asami. 

“You always think you hear stuff! Next, you’ll tell me the island is swarming with Equalists!” 

_ Just the daughter of one.  _ Asami bit the inside of her cheek bloody to hold back a snort. 

Still bickering, the trio smartly turned around and marched off into the night.

It took a few moments for Asami’s eyes to readjust, the torchlight having seared bright ribbons of light into her retinas and, when she did, she found Korra crouched by her side.

The Alpha peered at her intently but wasn’t really looking, a surprised expression painted on her face. She smelled surprised too, even though that was an impression Asami had difficulties translating into thoughts. But she felt it, right in the pit of her stomach, the kind of adrenaline jolt one experienced when something unforeseen – but not displeasing – befell them.

“Will you look at that,” Korra mumbled to herself, “never thought it’d work.”

Asami cleared her throat, and Korra blinked, shoulders jerking as if the Avatar had just remembered she was there.

Pitching her voice as low as she could, Asami leaned closer to Korra.  

“What is it? That you didn’t think would work, I mean?” 

She hugged herself for warmth, her teeth chattering hard enough that she marveled the guards couldn’t hear it. Yet the wind was a good thing - though it chilled her to the bone - because it masked their scents, carrying them back toward the sea. 

“The bending I did.” Korra had picked a rock off the ground and played with it idly while she spoke. “I wasn’t sure it would mask you. Honestly I wasn’t sure I could-” She stopped, mouth snapping shut, and tossed her head in irritation.  

_ You weren’t sure you could bend at all.   _ Asami bit the inside of her cheek, her lips pressing together like a dam to keep the words from rushing out. If she spoke them, it would be real. It’d be impossible to take them back. She didn’t want to believe it, and yet she’d had plenty of proof. Freezing the waves to create a path for them had been the most impressive piece of bending she’d ever seen performed, and Asami couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of strength and energy it’d take for such a feat. But Korra had made it look effortless, an afterthought at most. Until she’d faltered, the powers she commanded waning, and they were almost swallowed by the sea. 

Korra’s reluctance when she’d questioned her, the blood trickling from her nose; Asami’s agile mind fit the pieces back together, the same way she would repair something mechanical. True, there still remained a few blanks to be filled -something that Asami hoped the Avatar would do after some delicate prodding - but she had a much clearer picture and her heart went out to Korra. 

“We should move.” Before she could bring herself to say anything, the Alpha touched her arm, and pointed to a small thicket a few paces away. “We go through there, stick to the trees and get to Naga.” 

“Naga?” 

Korra’s smile returned and, despite her increasing worry, Asami felt her heart beat faster. 

“Yes. She’ll help us get where we need to go.” 

They resumed walking, but their going was even slower now that they had come so close to being discovered. Under the ink-black shadow of the trees Asami allowed herself to slump forward a little, the breath she’d been holding whistling between her teeth. She had been through a lot since crossing paths with the Avatar, but the adrenaline rush was something she was still getting adjusted to. It soured her mouth and made the palms of her hands slimy with cold sweat, and Asami wasn’t sure that the thrill jolting her spine when she was in danger was a good tradeoff.

_ Not that I’m sure my heart trying to come out of my chest whenever I look at Korra is a good thing either. _

Part of her wished she could just go back to hating the Alpha. Hate was easy; it was as clear cut as a diamond and just as well defined, not requiring much self-analysis when directed at someone else. It could be petty too: one reason was as good as any to start hating someone, but caring… well, caring brought along uncomfortable questions. And she’d thought that - just like a diamond - it could be crystallized into something unshakeable, that would never change, and pierce through any doubt.  

Yet, even though she’d very much like to call tonight a lapse in judgement, Asami knew she’d be lying to herself by doing so. There was no lie to be found in the way her body had quickened when Korra kissed her as they tangled on the ground. No denying the wetness that - even now that some time had passed - still turned the inside of her thighs into a sticky mess.  

And, above everything else, she couldn’t undo the knots tying her stomach up, her worry for the Avatar too great to be kept under control. Still, she needed her wits about her, especially as the route they were taking would take them inside the actual Temple grounds in just a few minutes. 

Asami certainly didn’t relish the idea of being caught out in the open again and - considering the way Korra’s feet dragged as she walked - it was obvious that the Alpha had expended too much energy already. 

She’d walked around the Temple enough times to know its layout - sometimes just following Korra and the rest of what Bolin liked to call Team Avatar, other times chasing down one of Pema’s kids - but everything looked different at night. Foreboding. Structures that were delicate and familiar in broad daylight were transformed to the skeletal remains of some ancient beast by the uncertain light of the moon. Where the silver rays failed to reach, the deepest shadows reigned, and it was all too easy to imagine a phalanx of sentries in full gear, reaching out to seize her for trespassing. 

At the other edge of the thicket they had to stop again, a guard station rising almost directly on their path. This position was well manned, and for good reason; beyond the bonfire burning merrily away next to the stone building Asami could pick out the Temple’s main buildings, darker shadows among the rest.

“We’ll never get past those guys.” She tugged urgently at Korra’s robe, trying to get her to turn around. 

“Wait.” Korra grabbed her hand, stilling her movements. “Look.” 

But Asami wasn’t looking. Nor listening for that matter. All she could focus on were the Alpha’s fingers trapping hers. Korra’s hand was warm, her hold strong but not unkind. The palms of her hands were calloused by her training, and Asami swallowed hard, the memory of the Avatar practicing hand to hand combat under a baking sun, enough to make her knees grow weak. 

“Asami?” Korra squeezed her hand, worry clouding her eyes. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah.” Her mouth was dry, all the moisture in her body having migrated southward. Under the Alpha’s concerned gaze her cheeks heated up, so much so that the wind didn’t feel that cold anymore.  _ This really isn’t the time to succumb to lust, Sato.  _ But Asami couldn’t stop the images rushing through her mind. She didn’t want to. 

She was saved - ironically - by the sentries. The group manning the guardpost had been lounging by the fire, one peering into the night around them while the rest took advantage of the quiet to repair their equipment. 

“Hey guys!” Another man poked his head outside, excitement clear in the way he waved his comrades over. “It’s starting!” 

“What’s starting?” 

“Pro Bending match.” Korra had to bite her lip to avoid laughing. “The sentries love to listen in over the radio. Never lose a match if they can help it.” 

True enough, the men were hurrying inside the guardpost, save for the unlucky one who’d drawn the short straw. He still held his position but - despite the distance separating them - Asami could tell he was disgruntled. He was trying to do his job the best he could, but his gaze kept going back to the guardhouse and his shoulders strained as if he were trying to listen in. 

“Come on,” Korra moved at a half-crouch, her steps noiseless. “Now he’s distracted. Won’t even see us go by.” 

Normally Asami would have moved as swiftly as the Avatar, but the skirt she wore was not designed for skulking in the dark. But Korra hadn’t let go of her hand and that made it much easier to follow the Alpha. 

_ But it complicates everything else, doesn’t it? _

Inside her chest her heart picked up. 

Mockingly. 

***********

“Well?” 

The White Lotus lieutenant shuffled, eyes glued to the flagstones at Master Tenzin’s feet. Bolin felt bad for the guy; he’d been in trouble enough times to sympathize. And Korra’s mentor could look pretty scary when he put his mind to it. 

Arranged in a straight-backed line behind their leader, the rest of the sentries who’d been on duty when the group had returned to Air Temple island, displayed varying degrees of guilt. A few mirrored the lieutenant’s stance, possibly hoping that if they managed to avoid looking at Tenzin long enough he’d forget that they were there. Others stared rigidly ahead, their stone-faced countenance somewhat ruined by the frantinc shifting of their eyes. 

“Uhm.” The lieutenant cleared his throat, finally finding the courage to meet his Master’s glare. “She’s gone, sir. So is the bear dog.” 

_ Gone _ . Honestly Bolin wasn’t too concerned by Korra’s sudden disappearance. The Avatar had been maudlin all week, her moods worsening as the Feast of Lights drew near. Her smiles had been just a bit too forced to be completely genuine and sometimes she’d look distracted, lost someplace where none of them could follow. Bolin let her be, figuring that she’d open up when she was ready to. Being the Avatar sounded cool and all, until one ended up stuck between duty and a sometimes overbearing teacher. 

And, while she was surrounded by people who loved her, he could understand her reluctance about the Feast. He’d been young enough when his parents had died that he could not remember them the way that Mako did; the passage of time had affected the memory he had of his mother especially. These days it was harder to remember her - she’d become more like a feeling than an actual face he could put a name to. 

Before their one room home inside the Pro Bending Arena, him and Mako had barely scraped by, sometimes going many days without a heel of bread to eat. Back then, the Feast had been like torture. Stalls would sprout all over the City, quick like mushrooms after a heavy rain. They were piled high with all manner of wares he could not afford to buy. The smells were the hardest thing to deal with; mouth-watering fragrances would fill the air, sunup to sundown, and his stomach would growl worse than an Alpha in response and try to chew a hole through his belly. 

Bolin had resented it all, and feeling his mother’s spirit hover around him on the night of the Feast hadn’t helped. He’d never told Mako about that part, fearing that his brother wouldn’t take him seriously. His mother had visited every year until they were offered a place to stay. After, her presence had waned to nothing and, while he’d been kind of relieved in the beginning, he found himself missing it too. 

Perhaps Korra could remember the people every  other Avatar had lost, and he didn’t even want to imagine how it must feel to deal with that.  

Besides, it wasn’t the first time that Korra evaded the guards’ surveillance and slipped away. It was how he and Mako had met her: sneaking off the island to attend her first Pro Bending match. 

“What do you mean gone?” 

Bolin blinked. He’d expected Tenzin to say that, but instead it was Mako who’d stepped forward, practically bristling with rage.  _ Oh, this isn’t good. _

He tried to pull Mako back, but his brother shrugged him off and walked up to the guardsman, looking ready to bend an answer out of him. The man was almost a head taller than Mako, and built like a wall, but indecision flashed through his face. 

A moment later he remembered that his men were watching and he leered, aggression thickening the air as he locked eyes with Mako. 

“I don’t answer to you,  _ pup _ .” His words dripped with contempt and he took a threatening step forward, entering Mako’s space and forcing him to crane his neck. 

“Enough!” Tenzin clapped his hands, causing Mako and the lieutenant to jump apart. “Fighting among ourselves won’t solve anything.” The Master Airbender continued, tone deceivingly calm. “It’s clear to me that Korra doesn’t want to be found. It would be a waste of time to try and track her down, especially in the dark.” 

“You’re just… not gonna look for her?” 

Bolin groaned and stuck his hands into his pockets, wanting to make himself smaller. On top of his head Pabu chirped, and he reached up to pat the fire ferret. “It’s okay, little guy. But Mako is being an idiot,” he soothed. Pabu chirped again and licked his fingers.

Staring down a White Lotus sentry was one thing, but picking a fight with Tenzin? Bolin had seen the airbender fight when Amon and his Equalists had overrun the island and Mako stood no chance. Not that Tenzin would actually fight him,  _ fight  _ him; he’d wave his hand a little and Mako would end up bundled  in Air. Probably gagged, too. 

“With all due respect, sir.” Mako bulldozed on, stubborn as ever, “but what if Korra was taken?” 

“Taken by whom, boy? It is my understanding that she and Asami may have had some… disagreement to smooth over. And Naga would not follow anyone but Korra.” 

“So you’re not gonna look for her?” Mako was like one of those dogs that wouldn’t let go of a bone until they got kicked. 

Tenzin sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples, as if his head was pounding.  _ It probably is, with all this yelling and stuff.  _

“We’ll give them a day, and if they aren’t back by tomorrow night we’ll resume looking. There are a few places where Korra may have gone.” 

“But-”

“Tomorrow.” This time, Tenzin’s tone brooked no argument. “Everyone try and get some sleep.” 

Possibly relieved at having been let off the hook so lightly, the sentries scurried off, vanishing from sight in a heartbeat. Mako however, he had to drag bodily away. 

“I can’t believe he won’t keep looking.” His brother shook his head in disbelief, anger like a sour smell around him. “I just… I can’t believe it.”

“He said he’d look, Mako. Tomorrow.” Bolin grasped his shoulder and squeezed. It was awkward, but he was the one who usually needed reassurance. They’d been through a lot together, but he’d never seen Mako so distressed; even on those days they weren’t sure what they would eat, Mako always had a plan. He seemed completely lost now, and Bolin’s stomach twisted into knots. 

Mako twisted away, eyes narrowed. Bolin tried to grab his arm again, but his brother pushed him back. Hard. 

“Whose side are you on, uh?” 

“Side? Mako, I don’t-” 

“You don’t understand, I know. What’s new?” 

The more he spoke, the less Bolin recognized him. His brother could be rash, impulsive, infuriatingly stubborn. But he was never cruel. 

“I’m going to look for them, I don’t care what Tenzin says!” Putting his words into action, Mako hurried down the hall, so fast that Bolin had to jog to keep up. “You can go to sleep if you want. I don’t care.” 

Bolin skidded to a halt, too stunned for a reply. Mako’s words may be born out of worry but they cut deep nonetheless. He knew he ought to follow or tell his brother to wait up, but he just couldn’t.  

He stood, rooted to the spot, and watched with a heavy heart as the night swallowed his brother.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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**Author's Note:**

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